Cheese Shops Of The Hudson Valley and Catskills | Where To Buy Your Charcuterie Upstate
Posted by Coldwell Banker Village Green Realty on Wednesday, February 14th, 2024 at 12:53pm
The Hudson Valley Cheese Shop Crawl
There are very few universal truths in this world. Water is wet, the sky is blue, and nobody dislikes cheese. Think about it. Is there anyone you know that actively dislikes cheese? We're not talking about people who say they can’t eat it because it gives them the tummy rumbles. Those people deserve our pity and compassion. We're talking about someone who says they don’t care for cheese in general. They admit this in public! They just wander around, missing out on the world’s favorite food group, telling people about how they don’t like the smell of it, or the texture or the obvious joy it brings to a person’s life. Also, they prefer cloudy days to sunny ones and their favorite color M&M’s are brown. It sounds impossible but I assure you, these poor, sad, cheese-deprived neighbors are here among us, in the Hudson Valley and Catskills Region and they need our help. Luckily for them, we’ve compiled this awesome list of farms, shops and stores that you can use to show them just how much they are missing.
As the local experts in Upstate Real Estate, we spend a lot of time grabbing snacks as we visit home sellers and take buyers around the region. As our cardiologists will attest, The Hudson Valley and Catskill Region has an impactful number of shops that are devoted to providing us access to hundreds of different varieties of cheese, both locally made and imported from all over the world - and we take full advantage of these shops. We are so obsessed that aside from spending the day looking at properties with us, we can’t think of a better way to spend an afternoon than to enjoy a fromage foray across the region. Here’s to convincing someone you care about to leave that bright orange spray can stuff behind and to take their first steps towards becoming a lifelong cheese aficionado. Good Luck, have fun, and enjoy the day as you explore the Upstate culture. (Get it? Culture?)
Corner Counter
This is a bright, relaxing storefront in a beautifully refurbished 1860s building in the heart of Red Hook and it has exactly what you’re craving. The delicious smells of grilled sandwiches will fill the air as you walk in the door and it gets better from there. Their menu boasts freshly made salads as well as a large selection of grab and go items, all incorporating delicious local and imported cheeses. The owners have hit the mark envisioning their place as a community hub - offering comfortable seating, wine/beer and cheese pairing classes, and pop-up dinner events with other local restaurants. They've been a great addition to the Village of Red Hook. We love that they're conveniently just down the block from our Red Hook office.
The Big Cheese Rosendale
This shop gets rave reviews from our staff. Everyone loves it! The Big Cheese is right in the midst of the adorable hamlet of Rosendale, NY - a small town that people often visit just to go to here. In fact, it's so popular regionally that it won the 2023 Reader’s Choice Award in Chronogram magazine and Restaurant Guru’s 2023 award for best restaurant! At The Big Cheese they're dedicated to helping people explore the ‘divinity of cheese’, so if you're ready for a religious experience via dairy, leave the beaten path and go to Rosendale. Their menu focuses on Mediterranean flavors and cheese and notably, they serve breakfast all day. If you’re looking for a hip, eclectic spot to sit for a while and enjoy yourself, this place is a must see!
Bimi’s Cheese Shop
Located in the heart of Chatham, NY, Bimi’s Cheese Shop honors the historic building that houses it by making you feel like you’ve just walked into a turn of the century general store. The hardwood floors, exposed brick walls and tin ceilings all evoke a sense of Americana that’s warm and inviting. The literal centerpiece of the space though, is their gorgeous cheese cooler - it is a thing of beauty indeed! Their selection of local and imported cheeses has been carefully curated to ensure their customers get the widest range of tastes available. They also offer gift boxes and the Bimi’s cheese club, which sends a selection of cheeses to your door every month. So if you aren’t lucky enough to live in Chatham, you can still indulge in everything Bimi’s has to offer!
Churchtown Dairy
Churchtown Dairy is a working small farm dedicated to sustainable agriculture and regenerative organic farming practices. Situated on an absolutely stunning 250 acre parcel of land just outside Hudson, NY, the farm prides itself on using biodynamic principles to produce organic beef, pork, eggs, milk and cheese. Their on-site creamery has produced NY State award-winning cheeses and is in production year-round. They welcome visitors to tour their facilities and grounds daily and host many different events. From beekeeping to quilting to, yes, cheesemaking, all with the goal of promoting sustainability in agriculture. A beautiful day cen be had walking their cultivated gardens, making friends with the herd, and enjoying some of the delicious cheeses offered at their farm store.
Cheese Louise
The thing about Cheese Louise on Route 28 in Kingston is that it somehow pulls off being fun and no nonsense all at once. The place is rustic and looks well lived in, painted in bright, welcoming blues and purples. Since 2010 it has been a reliable go-to for everyone in the area as a place to get gourmet cheeses as well as a great variety of antipasto items for salads and side dishes. There is an impressive caviar selection and a tasting area where various meats and cheeses are set out to try. We think the best thing about it, apart from the opportunity to get your hands on fantastic cheeses at a moment’s notice, is that it just feels fun and welcoming.
Ownership of the business recently changed hands which has resulted in Cheese Louise opening a second location in Rhinebeck, NY. A smaller, more boutique experience than the original, the Rhinebeck branch still retains the love of cheese and all things that go with it. Both spots are well worth the trip! Look how pretty their cheese is!
Talbott and Arding Cheese and Provisions
Going to Talbot and Arding in Hudson, NY feels like an event. Their spacious building has a clean, modernist, industrial feel that is the polar opposite to the overstuffed, comfy-cozy setting many cheese shops cultivate. Co-Owner Kate Arding oversees the curation of the huge cheese selection. Choices range from imported Italian and French staples to local favorites (some of which come from other vendors on this list!). While the cheeses offered are not made on premises, Chef Mona Talbot heads a brilliant team that does create fantastic breads and pastries every day, as well as a full menu of outstanding lunch and dinner options. The combination ends up feeling like a bright and inviting place to enjoy a snack, browse gifts, or simply enjoy cheese! (Note: they do not sell brown M&M's.)
Two Stones Farm Store and Creamery
Two Stones Farm produces a really impressive variety of cheeses for a small, family-owned business. Their secret is that they offer most of their products in either goat milk, cow’s milk or cow/goat milk blended varieties depending on the season. This means that what you are getting from them, at the many local farmstands and farmers markets around the area, is the freshest around. Their storefront in Fleischmanns, NY is only open on weekends and sells local output exclusively. When you visit, you will find farm fresh eggs, scarves, hats, and yarn (made from their own alpaca's fiber), goat milk soaps and, of course, all the great varieties of cheese. These guys are the real deal!
Last Chance Tavern
Since 1971, the Last Chance Tavern has been a go to spot for locals and travelers alike for delicious food, beer, wine and liquor options and the finest local cheeses. Many happy skiers end their day on the slopes of Hunter Mountain around a pot of swiss style fondue at Last Chance. The funky old-school Catskills atmosphere and weekly live music make Last Chance a must for your cheese trip!
Olde Hudson Market & Café
Olde Hudson knows what it’s doing! This general store (with more) can be found in a beautiful, brick-faced building located on Warren Street in Hudson. (Hudson has an unfair share of cheese!) They sell everything you could ask for, from local produce to fresh meats and fish to breads and pies. They run a café on-site where you can enjoy fresh sandwiches and coffee from breakfast on. But really, if you look close, you'll come to understand that everything they have to offer is meant to complement the absolutely stellar selection of imported cheese they sell. Their website lists the ten different countries they import from as well as four different states in our own. Just looking at all of it together leaves you no choice but to choose three, four, or ten of them to take home. They also have an impressive gift basket selection if you feel the urge to share!
Adams Fairacre Farms
Adams Fairacre Farms is quite the local success story. Family-owned all the way back to 1919, the Adams family started selling veggies from the front yard of their 50 acre farmstead and have been growing ever since with stores in Poughkeepsie, Kingston, Newburgh and Wappingers Falls. They opened their fifth store in 2023 in Middletown. Each location offers the modern conveniences of a metropolitan grocery store, but with the charm of a family-run farmstand. Each of the stores boasts a massive cheese section. They offer both imported specialties as well as many local favorites. They even make their own homemade fresh mozzarella daily on premises. Hands down, Adams is the one stop shopping destination for many things in the area (Christmas trees, ornaments, orchid food, chocolate covered pretzels....) fancy cheese included!
Cold Spring Cheese Shop
Everything about The Cold Spring Cheese Shop makes you feel at home. It’s a small, white storefront with CHEESE written in big black letters above the front window. Walking in, the room is dominated by an old fashioned deli counter filled with what looks like a cheese library! Each cheese, all of them sourced from the surrounding areas, is hand labeled and described in great detail. The clean white walls are covered in shelves and bins holding an array of jams, honeys, and cheese accoutrements. There are a few daily menu options available, which are great, but our favorite snack is the "Cheeseboard In A Cup". It's a small selection of cheese, a few pieces of fresh bread, some dried fruit slices and some small charcuterie all tucked inside what looks like a french fry container. It’s the perfect on-the-go treat for those of us who prefer savory treats over sweet ones!
Grazery
Oh, how we love this shop. They call themselves, "the cheesiest plant shop around" because they sell two things: plants and cheese. It sounds like an untenable combo until you walk in the store and take a Narnian trip to another world where a jungle of plants hang above a large selection of cheese. You can get a great cup of coffee and stay to browse the small store for a couple of hours - because it's the most perfect place you can imagine and you don't want to leave. Side note: their plants are very healthy and even our blackest of thumbs in the New Paltz office have had great luck with them.
We hope you enjoy a full day, or even weekend, of cheese gathering. As always, if you're up for buying a home, land or business that's what we sell! Stop in at any of our offices on your tour or call us at 845-253-4040 to set a date to take a tour of any of our communities. We'll try to stop for some cheese!
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